The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

Last 5 news

Monday, July 27, 2015

Vatican City, 26 July 2015 (VIS) – At
midday today Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the
Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful
gathered in St. Peter's Square. He commented on the day's Gospel
passage, which narrates “the great sign of the multiplication of
the loaves”, when Jesus finds Himself on the shores of the Sea of
Galilee surrounded by the multitude, drawn by the “signs He was
performing on the sick”.

Francis remarked that God's merciful
power acts in Christ, curing every malady of the body and the spirit.
But He is not merely a healer, He is also a teacher; He teaches from
the “cathedra” represented by the mount and tests His disciples,
asking them how they can give food to all the people present. The
apostle Philip makes a rapid calculation, confirming that by
organising a collection they could raise at most two hundred denari
to buy bread, which would not be sufficient to feed five thousand
people.

“The disciples reason in 'market'
terms, but Jesus substitutes the logic of buying with the logic of
giving”, explained the Pope. “And at this point Andrew, the
brother of Simon Peter, presents a boy who offers all he has: five
loaves and two fishes, which are certainly not enough for so many
people, Andrew says”. But this was exactly what Jesus was
expecting, and so He tells the disciples to ask the people to be
seated, takes the loaves and fishes, blesses them, gives thanks to
the Father and distributes them.

“These gestures anticipate those of
the Last Supper, which gives Jesus' bread its truest meaning. God's
bread is Jesus Himself. Making Communion with Him, we receive His
life in us and become children of the heavenly Father and brothers
among ourselves. In this communion we encounter Jesus, truly alive
and risen! Participating in the Eucharist means entering into Jesus'
logic, the logic of gratuity, of sharing. And poor though we may be,
we can all give something. 'Making Communion' means drawing from
Christ the grace that makes us capable of sharing what we are and
what we have with others”.

The crowd is astonished by the miracle
of the multiplication of the loaves, “but the gift that Jesus
offers is the fullness of life for famished mankind. Jesus satisfies
not only material hunger, but also the most profound hunger for the
meaning of life: our hunger for God. Faced with suffering,
loneliness, poverty and the difficulties of so many people, what can
we do? Complaining resolves nothing, but we can offer what little we
have, like the boy in the Gospel. We all surely have a little time,
some kind of talent, some kind of expertise to offer. Who among us
does not have their 'five loaves and two fishes'? We all have it! If
we are willing to place it in the Lord’s hands, it would be enough
to bring to the world a little more love, peace, justice and above
all, joy. How much we are in need of joy in the world! God is capable
of multiplying our little gestures of solidarity and letting us
participate in His gift”.

Vatican City, 26 July 2015 (VIS) –
Following the Angelus prayer, the Pope recalled that registration
began today for the 31st World Youth Day, to be held in 2016 in
Krakow, Poland. He was the first to register as a pilgrim by means of
an electronic device brought to him by a boy and girl, before the
faithful in St. Peter's Square. “The Day will coincide with the
Year of Mercy”, he observed, “and will be, in a certain sense, a
jubilee of youth called upon to reflect on the theme 'Blessed are the
merciful, for they will find mercy'. I invite the young from all over
the world to live this pilgrimage either by going to Krakow or by
participating in this moment of grace within their communities”.

He continued, “In a few days' time it
will be the second anniversary of the kidnapping of Fr. Paolo
Dall'Oglio. I wish to make a heartfelt and urgent appeal for the
liberation of this esteemed religious man. Similarly, I do not forget
the Orthodox bishops abducted in Syria, nor all the other people
kidnapped in war zones. I hope that the competent authorities, both
local and international, may redouble their efforts to enable freedom
to be restored to these brothers of ours. With affection and
participation in their suffering, let us remember them in prayer, and
pray together to Our Lady”.

After praying the “Hail Mary” for
these abducted people with all those present in the square, the Pope
concluded by commenting that today the Church celebrates the feast of
Sts. Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary and therefore
Jesus' grandparents. “On this occasion, I would like to greet all
grandmothers and grandfathers, and to thank them for their valuable
presence in families and for the new generations. Let us greet and
applaud all those grandparents who are living, and also those who
look upon us from Heaven”.

Vatican City, 27 July 2015 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has granted ecclesiastical communion to His Beatitude
Gregoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan, as requested by the latter following
his election as Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians by the Synod of
the Patriarchal Church on 24 July. The new patriarch succeeds His
Beatitude Nerses Pierre XIX Tarmouni, who died on 25 June.

The Pope took the opportunity to send a
message of congratulations to His Beatitude Gregoire Pierre XX
Ghabroyan, in which he commented that his election comes at a moment
when the Church faces new difficulties and challenges, especially the
situation of many Armenian Catholic faithful in the Middle East.
“However, illuminated by the light of faith in the Risen Christ,
our outlook on the world is full of hope and mercy, for we are
certain that the Cross of Jesus is the tree that gives life”.

“I am sure that Your Beatitude, in
communion with the venerable Synod Fathers, with the help of the Holy
Spirit and with evangelical wisdom, will know how to be the 'Pater et
Caput”, the Good Shepherd to that part of the People of God
entrusted to you. The many Armenian martyrs and St. Gregory of Narek,
Doctor of the Church, will not fail to intercede on your behalf”.

Finally, the Pope entrusted the
Patriarch and his ministry to Jesus Christ and to the protection of
the Holy Mother of God, and imparted his apostolic benediction to all
the Patriarchate.

Vatican City, 25 July 2015 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has sent a telegram of condolences to the cardinal
archbishop of Washington, U.S.A., Donald Wuerl, for the death of
Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, archbishop emeritus of the same
archdiocese and major penitentiary emeritus, on 23 July at the age of
88.

In his text the Pope expresses his
gratitude for the late cardinal's years of episcopal service in
Springfield-Cape Girardeau and in Washington, and for his long
service to the Apostolic See as Prefect of the Congregation for
Catholic Education and major penitentiary. The Holy Father commends
the late cardinal's soul to God, the Father of all mercies, and
imparts his apostolic blessing to all who mourn his passing.

Vatican City, 25 July 2015 (VIS) - In a
letter published today, written in Latin and dated 20 May 2015, the
Holy Father appointed Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop emeritus
of Cologne, Germany, as his special envoy to the inauguration of the
convent complex at the Shrine of Maria Radna in Timisoara, Romania,
to take place on 2 August, the day of the Portiuncula. In the text,
the Pope mentions the fame of the Marian shrine, an ancient
Franciscan convent, and expresses his pleasure at the restoration
works, fruit of collaboration between the citizens of Timisoara,
several dioceses in Germany, and the European Union.

- accepted the resignation from the
pastoral care of the diocese of Tumaco, Colombia, presented by Bishop
Gustavo Giron Higuita, O.C.D., upon reaching the age limit.

- appointed Cardinal Secretary of State
Pietro Parolin as papal legate at the celebration of the fifth
centenary of the evangelisation of East Timor, to be held in Dili,
East Timor, on 15 August 2015.

- appointed Cardinal Angelo Scola,
archbishop of Milan, Italy, as special envoy to the Mass to be held
in Bobbio, Italy on 30 August, on the occasion of the Eighteenth
Meeting of the Colombanian Community, on the 1400th anniversary of
the death of St. Colombanus.

- appointed Cardinal Kurt Koch,
president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as
special envoy to the concluding celebrations of the 1500th
anniversary of the founding of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice,
Switzerland, to take place on 22 September 2015.